John Moffatt

Brilliant. Thanks John, and everyone else who has contributed. Never had so much attention ATB John

Right guys, just to get us back on topic, probably for the last time , I've had a word with a dealer I've known for many years, who I've always found to be bang on with his info. It seems this record was probably never actually bootlegged, ie copied or counterfeited illegally, but Brown Door, being a very small outfit had several small batches turned out by a number of pressing plants. That would explain the vinyl and styrene copies and the variations that have been noted regarding edge profile and such. Which was the actual very first batch produced is anybody's guess, but, if you've got one, it's almost certainly ligit. Hope that's of help, unless anyone thinks it's a load of rubbish . Thanks again for all the input: it's been very useful. As ever, you Soulies have proved a passionate and knowledgeable bunch . Cheers John

Yes, that's right, but the label is slightly bubbled though. It reads MH 6576 . S 1 MR (stamped in a circle) DD scratched in a circle and a Delta Number 99777 also scratched in. Nothing else that I can see. Any more ideas guys? John

Right gentlemen, thank you very much for all this info. I certainly had no idea. For the record (no pun intended), mine's got a proper straight edge, and you can't see through it, so I'm assuming it's kosher. Does that sound about right? Cheers John

Hi Ted I had a simlar experience about 10 weeks ago. Record from a good US dealer (100% feedback etc), tracked by USPS. Proof of postage, then completely disappeared. No trace since in either the States or over here. Ran out of Paypal's time-limit to claim back, lost £55. That's the first time it's ever happened in over 600 US purchases, but it still binds. Interested in the other contributor being robbed blind by HM Revenue. I've had this 3 times, and it's cost me a small fortune. The issue is US dealers insisting on secure shipping with insurance, so they have to quote the full value of the record on the customs slip. If the customs spot it you get charged import duty and VAT, plus, and this is the real shitter, a holding charge while you pay. So you get charged for something that's not your fault and you can do nothing about. Wherever possible I NEVER go for secure shipping, and have even asked dealers to put $5 or whatever on the slip irrespective. I've never had such a record go missing, and it saves a mint. All the best John

Hi All, Does anyone know if the 1974 single Marvin Holmes & Justice - You Better Keep Her (on Brown Door MH-6576) was bootlegged on a close lookalike. If so, what are the tell-tale details to look for? Thanks a lot John

Spoken like a true crossover man . Actually, I got it for the Jo Ann Henderson side, 'cos I think £250 or so for a Phonograph is ridiculous. I must have seen well over a dozen copies sold this year, so it isn't that rare, just another must-have record with a typically inflated price. I'd never heard the Rose Mitchell version. I quite like it, but not for silly money. See you soon pal John

Thank you all guys for your replies. As I expected, loads of knowledge delivered with a little bit of passion. Top stuff . I agree about the first half minute or so, it is a bit pointless. As to £800, that puts it well out of my range, even assuming I liked it enough to pay that kind of figure. Does anyone know if the Roseann release is legal? For £50 it ought to be . Just as an aside, I was 4 years old in 1954, so, for me, it's sort of contemporary , along with ration books, farthings and co-op milk tokens . Cheers folks John

Hi all, I've been playing Rose Mitchell - Baby Please Don't Go from the RoseAnn release (flip is Jo Ann Henderson's version, originally on Phonograph). The Rose Mitchell originally came out in 1954 on Imperial 5260. Has anyone ever seen one of these? Was it released on 45 or 78 or both? Lastly, does anyone have it for sale (45 only)? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks John